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INTRODUCTION

If youve ever been involved in a start up venture you can probably remember the effort required to raise funds when the business was set up and are quite sure that there is absolutely no opportunity for funding at zero interest rates and no payback. You know, you did your homework at the time and further you remember you cannot even raise funds without a fairly detailed and professional looking business plan complete with financial projections and sensitivity analysis. You can probably still lay your hands on that first business plan. Unfortunately most organisations have not referred to the plan since they raised the funds and only have a rough idea how actual business has compared to those original forecasts.

The difference occurs when a company has been in business for a number of years and it is this which opens up the possibility of realising what amounts to an interest free, non repayable source of business funding. The potential opportunity, however, is rarely considered as a first option when the need arises for secondary funding to develop the business.

Raising business funds is generally considered to be a tricky business. There are a number of options or routes which could be taken. How do you know which is the most suitable for the circumstances. Further to this most routes require the presentation of an up to date business plan and there is some truth in the motherhood and apple pie statement that when you dont need the money people are tripping over themselves to loan it to you. The second you need the money they all run for cover or start demanding personal guarantees from the directors.

This article reviews the most common sources of business funding, comments on the likely requirements to secure them and in what circumstances they are a suitable source. The article then considers why sources of funding run for cover the second you need the money, and suggests ways of avoiding this. The article then considers the alternative free funding option, explains how to gain access, and argues that this option should be aggressively pursued by all organisations whether they need funding or not.

Finally the article will explain why, in the opinion of the author, personal guarantees should never be given except in a small number of very precise circumstances.

TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING

Unless youre considering floating and gaining a AIM or full stock market listing then the usual sources of business funding potentially available to you are:

Bank Loan / Overdraft facilities commonly known as senior debt
Mortgages, Hire Purchase, Lease purchase
Asset finance
Sale and Lease back
Debt Finance Factoring, Invoice discounting
Stock Finance
Business Angels Private equity finance
Mezzanine finance
Venture Capital Equity finance
The most common needs for funding in existing firms are listed in no particular order as:

Acquisition
Discharge of existing debts
Buy out a partner
Refurbish / expand premises
Pay VAT PAYE and NI
Fund new product and or growth opportunity

The type of funding you should go for depends to some extent on the use you intend to put the money to, but mostly upon the business circumstances at the time. These circumstances range from the level and quality of security available, to how well you can display an ability to furnish the debt, to future growth opportunities and, in relation to equity capital, the availability and feasibility of exit strategies.

It should be remembered that funders are in business to lend you money. They make their money by making loans at given interest rates and then having the money repaid. If you default then they are out of pocket. Risk is therefore an important consideration for funders. The higher the perceived risk the higher will be the potential return required by the funder and hence the coupon value or interest rate required.

The requirement for business plans and financial projections by a potential funder is all to do with their need to assess this risk.

It should be remembered that the lower the perceived risk, irrespective of the type of funding you are going for, the lower will be the demanded coupon rate. The more you can do to minimise this risk in the eyes of the potential funder the more chance you have of negotiating the best possible coupon rates and hence the cheaper will be the funding to the company. In some cases, of course it may be the difference between being offered funding or not.

Good security is obviously high on the list for minimising coupon rates but there are others. A company with a clear forward business strategy and an ability to display a competent committed management team will always impress. A company which knows where its at because it produces regular management accounts and compares its performance with forecasts is a pre requisite for some forms of funding but will go a long way to minimising the perceived risk in all areas. This is particularly the case if the forecasts can be seen to be realistic and achievable and managers are seen to take corrective action when performance departs from plan.

Obviously a company with the appropriate financial controls and an ability to operate efficiently and competitively in its chosen market reduces risk. There should be no significant threats to the market segment or niche within which the company operates.

Finally funders will want to take a look at previous forecasts and compare them with actual performance. A sensible explanation will be required for any serious adverse variances.

With all of this in mind a quick commentary on the types of funding and their general requirements will be useful.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE TYPES OF FUNDING

Given the importance of security and risk we will deal first with the low risk secured funds end of the spectrum first.

If youre looking to make a one off purchase of a piece of equipment then hire purchase or lease hire is probably the way to go. Which particular version will depend upon the VAT treatment and the company profitability in relation to capital allowances. The point of this type of funding however is that it is secured against a specific asset, the one you are buying. If you default there is no debate, the asset belongs to the hire purchase company and can be recovered with little expense or effort provided the asset is clearly identifiable. The HP company will require a means of unique identification such as non removable serial number and evidence of your ability to meet the repayments. Unless we are talking significant amounts of money in relation to the size of the company, the repayment test is likely to be met by provision of statements and latest accounts.

Given the clarity and quality of security HP loans can usually be arranged at relatively low interest rates and are often cheaper than conventional bank loans.

Most people know and understand the concept of mortgages for property. Security is clearly identified and of good quality. The emphasis is therefore on ability to service the debt. Mortgages tend to be taken over an extended number of years and hence the requirements to display the ability to pay are likely to be greater. This is likely to increase as the number of times cover of existing profits over repayments reduces.

Lower cover ratios are more likely to require full business plans and forecasts in addition to recent and historical accounts.

It is generally accepted that your ability to borrow senior debt should be maximised before considering other forms of loans. This really is a statement of using the cheapest source of funds first. Conventional Bank Loans and overdraft are therefore the next level to be considered.

Security is taken by a fixed and floating charge over the assets of the business. Such funding can usually be secured at 2 to 3% over base. Bank loans and overdrafts at any significant level will almost certainly require the presentation of a business plan in support of the application. Additionally the bank is likely insist upon the presentation of monthly management accounts complete with variance analysis and debtor and creditor lists. They may also require a formal valuation of the assets and if so you will have to pay for this.

The amount of security the bank will consider your assets worth is worthy of comment given that you may exhaust this source of finance quicker than you thought. When evaluating your assets the bank is interested in two things. Firstly their forced sale, or fire sale value, as it is known, and secondly how clearly and crisply will their fixed and floating charge give them priority to these assets.

With regards to valuation the bank has to be mindful of the process involved in realising cash if they have to rely upon their fixed and floating charge to recover the debt. The assets will have to be sold quickly at auction. There will be auction fees and, in all probability, Insolvency Practitioner fees if by this time the company has entered administration. Insolvency Practitioners charge according to a fee structure regulated by their controlling body. There are 7 or 8 such controlling bodies. Take a 1m turnover company. The IP fees would be in the order of 25k if they are on the banks approved list. The IPs expenses have to be added on and the cynics in life would say that the level of expenses will be proportional to the realisable value of the business. This article does not wish to debate the validity of otherwise of the cynics view and simply wishes to draw attention to potential costs to be considered when valuing assets for security.

Ignoring debtors and creditors for the time being a general rule of thumb would be to take the net book value of the other assets and divide them by three. The resultant value is, give or take, the value up to which you can arrange secured loans.

This obviously does not apply to property, which can be considered as security up to 100% of its value.

The second consideration with regard to security is the crispness to which the fixed and floating charge will give priority to the holder of the debenture.

Last century there was little concern about the priority of a fixed and floating charge and banks were happy to include debtor book in the assets considered for security. This was a useful and certain source of funding which is no longer available.

In 1999 the Brumark case changed the banks view. Anyone interested in the detail of the case can no doubt find it on a web search but essentially unless separate bank accounts were used, the banks priority over debtors afforded by the fixed and floating charge could not be upheld.

Invoice factoring has been around for a long time but Brumark case made it the only effective way of funding with a debtor book as security.

There are various versions of this type of funding ranging from Confidential Invoice Finance through Invoice Finance to full Factoring service. Confidential Invoice Finance is a means of raising funds on the debtor book whilst you continue to manage the ledger and collect your debts as they become payable. Your customers will have no knowledge of the arrangements you have made. Invoice finance generally requires you to notate your invoices with the fact and full factoring results in the money being paid into the factoring company account.

The workings of each are slightly different but the effect is the same. Up to 85% of the debtor book can be drawn down. What is actually allowed will depend upon the perceived quality of your debtors the normal level of credits given by your company and how good the controls within the company are considered to be. Your draw down facility will be reduced to take account of any reciprocal trading, concentrations of trade, and any trade with a customer above and beyond the credit limit considered appropriate by the factoring company for that customer.

Such funding is usually relatively easy to arrange with bank statements and sight of recent accounts required. An audit of your controls within the business is also often required and this is usually conducted without charge by the factoring house.

There are a couple of other things of which you should be aware. You will normally pay a fixed fee for the service each year plus an interest charge on the draw down of 2 to 3% over base. There is therefore a cost to this service even if you never draw down and you are usually contracted to a minimum period.

One of the benefits of invoice finance which is often used as a selling point is that it automatically funds the increased working capital requirements of a growing business. As your turnover grows your debtor book increases in proportion and hence you have an increased funding source.

This of course is perfectly true but unless you are absolutely certain that your business will continue to grow or at the very least stay still, you should consider the opposite effect. The first effect of a reduced level of invoicing is to tighten your cash flow. You have become accustomed to paying your creditors due out of present invoicing rates. Your creditors due are as a consequence of previous activity rates and it will be a little time before they fall to matching the levels of the present activity levels

You should ensure that you have sufficient daylight in your arrangement to cover reducing invoicing rates to the extent that this may occur. Similarly if you have used this funding method to make a purchase of an asset you should be careful about the cover levels you have. If your invoicing rate declines so will your funding availability. You have, however, already spent the money on the asset.

Asset finance and stock finance etc are variations of secured funding and are methods of making clear the specific assets over which the funder has priority. Pursuing these may require deeds of priority to be drawn up if your bank has a fixed and floating charge. This is not usually an issue provided there is sufficient total security to cover the total funding required.

If youre running out of security there is always the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme. This works like senior debt and is organised through your bank. If you meet the criteria the DTI provides security for the loan.

Mezzanine finance is a hybrid which provides a mix of debt and equity finance as a bespoke solution to the specific situation. It is called mezzanine since the debt is repayable after the usual senior debt. The providers of such finance are looking for a return of 10 to 20% and you can find providers for deals of 5m plus. Companies with a low growth prospect or an inability to significantly increase cash flow after the deal are not suited to this method of funding.

Equity finance is really what it says. In return for a stake in the business investment funds are made available. This is unsecured funding and is therefore at the expensive end. Through a mixture of fees, coupon rate on preference shares, dividends and exit strategy the venture capitalist will be looking for a return of around 30%. This may be expensive and you have to come to terms with sacrificing equity but the VC rarely wants a controlling interest. Just enough to give him the chance of the return he requires. Remember 70% of something is worth more than 100% of nothing. If you believe in your business opportunity but have insufficient security then equity finance should be seriously considered.

You will need full and exhaustive business plans, full business controls and monthly management account reporting and formal board meetings with copies of minutes being supplied. Also, possibly, a non exec director of the VCs choice. You, however, will have to pay for him. There will probably be restrictions on what you spend and how much you pay yourself and other directors but if you are professional and organised and able to achieve your plans these conditions are not onerous. In any event where else can you raise unsecured funding. They will also probably want a second charge ranking behind the banks.

You will also need to provide a clear, believable and achievable exit strategy for the VC over something of the order of a 3 to 5 year period. If you have what is commonly termed a lifestyle business there is little point in proposing an exit strategy of growth followed by sale. You would need to convince the VC that you actually would sell. The value of a minority shareholding is much less than a sale of the whole.

RUNNING FOR COVER

It is often said the problem with banks is that they are constantly trying to loan you money when you dont need it but the second you need a loan they are not interested.

Hopefully, in view of that which has been discussed above, the reason for this is clear. Secured funding is all about perceived risk. Many people approach the bank for funding some time after they actually needed it. The overdraft limit has been reached, cheques are being bounced and then they turn up to see their bank manager to ask for increased facilities.

Compare this with a discussion with the bank manager along the lines of

Our current performance over the last few months has been x as can be seen from our management accounts and the variance from our budget is consequential to y. We are proposing the following actions to correct these variances. Modelling this revised plan shows that we are going to need increased funding of z from July for a period of 18 months. Our sensitivity analysis shows that in worst case scenarios the increased funding requirement will be z and will be required for a period of 2 years.

The question is which approach generates most confidence, suggests a business under control, and hence reduces the perceived risk of providing funding. If you do not want your bank manager to run for cover keep him informed and do not deliver surprises.

This is easy to say and easy to do if you have the right management controls, regular management accounts, reviews of actual performance against forecast, and projections amended to take account of actual results.

INTEREST FREE NON REPAYABLE FUNDING

All conventional funding has a price dependent upon the perceived risk and will require you to undertake various tasks so as to secure that funding. Despite this however it is to conventional funding that most people turn first. However if you are planning your business development you will be aware of the need for funding well in advance and can take steps to release capital so as to reduce the need for interest bearing funding or, perhaps, to remove the need altogether.

The source of this free funding is best explained by an example.

PDC Ltd has been trading for around five years and has a turnover of 2m. Its trading terms are net monthly (equivalent to 45 days) but its average debtor days is 75 days. It has a 60% GP and its average creditor days is 45 days. Clearly it is paying its suppliers to terms which is no bad thing if you want good service.

PDC Ltd is probably not aware of these statistics on its business but if it were it could consider taking steps to achieve the following.

Improve its credit control and reduce its debtor days to 60. When achieved this will release from working capital, to be used else where in the business some 97,000.

Negotiate with suppliers for better trading terms than net monthly. PDC Ltd is a good customer with a history of paying on time. With the right approach there is a good chance of achieving net 2 monthly (equivalent to 75 days). When achieved this will release from working capital, to be used elsewhere in the business some 77,000.

Suppose PDC Ltd visited its purchasing arrangements and discovered that it could reduce its purchase costs by 5%. Forgetting the marginal effect on working capital this will amount to 40,000 savings per year. The actual amount available for reinvestment of course depends upon the effective marginal rate of corporation tax. At 21% this would generate 31,000 per year of extra funds.

We could go on to consider the effect of stock turn improvements and efficiency gains within operating costs but the point is probably made.

Companies form and develop and as they grow they inevitably build in inefficiencies. With some attention significant sums of capital can be released.

CONCLUSIONS

If a company is to be successful in raising funding efficiently and at the lowest possible cost it must be in control of its business and be able to predict, quantify and explain the reason for a funding requirement. This requires clear and achievable business plans with a process of review of actual performance against projections. Projections must then be adjusted to reflect actual performance.

Periodic reviews to unlock the free funding tied up within the business should be undertaken. Not only can this significantly reduce the cost of future funding requirements but it will make it easier to raise the traditional funding that may be required.

The introduction promised a view on personal guarantees. When raising funding these will often be requested from the directors of the company. Its a way of increasing the security against the loan and it can be inferred that it is only a paper exercise since if the worst comes to the worst there would be enough security in the company to see that the personal guarantee did not have to be paid.

Refuse to give the personal guarantee on the basis that the business proposal should stand or fall on its merits. If it does not stand up then perhaps you should reconsider pursuing the proposal. If there is sufficient security and the risk adjudged acceptable then the potential funder will often proceed without the personal guarantees.

If there is insufficient security then perhaps you might consider the PG route but spare a thought first of all for the following. If you have the personal assets to cover the PG if the worst comes to the worst then it may be cheaper to raise the money personally on those assets and loan it to the company. Not only may this be a cheaper route but it clearly displays your risk.

Make no mistake. If the worst comes to the worst the funder will call in your PG and you will probably find that this is payable as soon as the loans are in default instead of when the business assets are realised and fail to cover the loan. Remember that in an administration situation there can be significant costs to be met before the debenture holder is paid. You will probably also find that the PG makes you responsible for any recovery costs and the accrued interest charges for non payment are likely to be on the high side.

Charles Brooks is an MBA graduate with many years experience of raising funds for acquisitions. He is currently MD of Comprehensive Business Management Ltd which provides business strategy/planning services and assists with cost saving, efficiency gain and working capital release programmes. Up to one day free consultancy to assess and quantify the potential for savings is available and if you work with CBM they will guarantee the savings.

http://www.cbmgroup.co.uk

Charles BrooksLive Mortgage Leads
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Before you get wrapped up in the excitement of buying a home, you need to prepare for things you may run up against in the mortgage application process. Following the steps below could save you tens of thousands of dollars or even mean the difference in whether you can buy your dream home or not.

1. Do - Pull Your own Credit from all 3 Bureaus and review thoroughly. Be sure and look at any public records like judgments, bankruptcies and tax liens. Sadly, many companies are quick to add negative items to your credit report but are slow to reflect the fact that you have satisfied them.

2. Do - Challenge and have any errors corrected on your report on ALL 3 bureaus. You can do this through the three bureau's websites. They are www.transunion.com, www.equifax.com, and www.experian.com.

3. Do - Put together a budget to figure out how much house payment you can afford. Be sure and include 1/12th of your annual taxes and property insurance. Also, be sure and consider how you would cope if you had a drop in income such as one spouse loosing a job. Just because a lender or mortgage broker says you qualify for X price home does not mean you should buy a home at this price.

4. Do - Think about your needs and don't get caught up in buying a home just to 'keep up with the Jones'. As a part of this evaluation be sure and consider 1) School systems, 2) Commute time, 3) How quickly the home would sell if you had to sell it quickly, and 4) Any money needed to fix up the home to suit your needs, particularly if you borrow all or nearly all of the purchase price.

5. Don't - Borrow significant money right before you buy a home. This includes cars, credit cards and personal loans. If you just have to buy a car, wait until after you buy the home. The extra debt can cause you to qualify for less home than you would without the debt. I can't tell you how many people that could not qualify for the price home they wanted because of a recent car purchase. Deciding to buy a cheaper car after you bought a new home is far better than the other way around as a car depreciates dramatically and most homes increase in value. Plus you should get a tax deduction on the interest.

6. Don't - Change from being salaried (W2) to being self employed at least a year and in most cases 2 years before trying to get a mortgage to buy a home.

7. Don't - Pay off old judgments or old collections to try to improve your credit score. Often times this will LOWER your scores. If the lender requires you to pay these off or you just want to pay them off, you can do it during or just before or after closing on your home.

Planning ahead when buying a home can make the process much smoother, less stressful and save you a lot of money. Happy house hunting!

Ron Stone is a mortgage specialist helping people with less than perfect credit to obtain a mortgage. For more tips and information about the process of obtaining a mortgage visit him at http://www.alabama-mortgage-specialists.com Live Mortgage Leads
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Kuala Lumpur Crude palm oil futures: Take profit at 2560/S.A./Sell-stop @ 2484 OL

SEPT CPO futures closed higher by RM47 at 2515 on relatively high volume of 8,232 lots.

1. CPO continued higher yesterday and it is clear that it is rising further to test the next target of 2560 the 62% Fibonacci rebound target.

2. We would take profits there and stay out.

3. We would short if it cannot exceed 2560 as our view is a correction after 2560 is hit!

4. If you still want to hold onto longs, the sell-stop is at 2484 OL. This stop loss level is a tick below the low of the 5-minute charts long white candle at 1730 hours yesterday.

General commentary: We were absolutely right! CPO pierced and closed above the reaction high of the W bottom. With this breach, we expect CPO to race towards 2560. What happens after 2560? We expect a correction. But we would only short below 2560. Any price above 2560, we are staying out.

Next upside targets: 2560/2749 (hit)/3313 (targets revised on June 5)

Downside support: 2153

Ichimoku chart: (Based on kumo (clouds), CPO is long. Kumo support is at 2111. Ichimoku chart will turn short @ 2110 OL (updated on June 11, 2007)

Average True Range for CPO: A.T.R. is 60.57 for CPO. This implies you need to put a stop above/below this A.T.R. or you can get stopped out due to the volatility factor. We advocate a 1.5 x or 2 x the ATR. We are using a 5 days ATR.

Fred Tam is the owner of Mortgage Lead Transfers
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Charente has become the new goal for those searching a property overseas in France. To read more on Charente visit http://www.lagiraudiere.com/charente_south_west_france.html . You may be looking for either a town house, farmhouse, land, barn or Lake in France then once you have decided on the property you will start on the process of purchasing that property. In this article, we explain the order of events as you go down the road to completing your purchase for that dream home in France.

In 99 of the purchase price. If you found your property througth a French estate agent then you would have certainly have had to sign up with that agent and as a concequence you will have to pay there fees which should have been outlined in the agreement that you originally signed with them. Beware when you view a property via an French estate agent because they will insist that you sign with them an agreement that if you buy a property that is listed with them they are entitled to the fees. Remember there is nothing to stop you finding the property and dealing direct with the seller which can save you quite a tidy sum of euros. Many websites are now offering classified ads for property in France one worth a visit is http://www.lagiraudiere.com/property/

Ok lets continue on the basis that the agent found you your French home. In france you will be asked to sign apromise de vente which is a bidding contract between you and the seller. Within this contract you can state reasons for pulling out i.e subject to seeing the plans of the property, you can also insert conditions like subject to you receiving a French mortage. You may also have further developement plans for the property and again this contract can be used to say subject to you receiving planning permisssion for your proposed project. Another good request is to say subject to the property being cleared of all it's rubbish ( I know of people who have had to pay thousands of euros to have barns cleared out or even lofts cleared. This is where you will start to learn that the French love paper work and demand copies for all sorts of documents. You will need a copy of your passpost, a copy of your birth certificate (The full one not the small one) You will also need copies of your mariage certificate and divorce papers if applicable. If you are financing your purchase with a mortgage then you will need copies of the paper work. The compris de vente normally takes up to four weeks to arrive and it will be in French allthougth some notaire's and agents will supply an additional copy in English. If you are not sure about any of the contract then seek profesional advice before signing. You may be asked to deposit a 10 - not bad.

The solicitor (Notaire) is responsible for insuring that certain inspections are carried on the property you are buying prior to completion. These inspections will be for termites and other wood eating bugs, Lead and asspestos checks. If you are buying a relatively new house then it may be well worth asking for a copy of the builders invoice as this carries a ten year guarantee in France. Similar the vendor would have a COUNSEL CERTIFICATE which would have been provided once the property was hooked up to mains electric, this certificate would show that the wiring conformed to French standards and was safe. The notaire will also ask for the plans cadastre for the property you are buying and will check that the boundaries are marked. If you are buying a piece of land or property that was once part of a larger section then a new plan cadastre will be drawn up and new parcelle numbers given to your plot.

A property survey does not exists as such in France and you would be better off asking a local builder to survey the property for you. Remeber if you are buying some 200 year old stone French farmhouse then there will be work to be done and do not think otherwise. Do not ask the estate agent to recommend a surveyor or builder as he will probably send some one he knows will not loose his commission. Instead ask at the town hall or Maire to recommend a local builder or other expats to recommend some one. Remember the estate agent will loose a lot of money if you pull out.

The sale completion signing is held in the notaire's office and it's usual for the buyer to be there, but if you can't be, you can arrange a power of attorney for it to be signed in your absence. Make sure that you have your deposit in place in France and also that your mortgage has been agreed. If you miss the completion date you will lose your deposit. On the day of the signing be sure to go and view the property one final time prior to signing to ensure that everything is has you expect. The estate agent can arrange this and it is not unusual. When you sign you will be asked to write in French sold as seen so make sure you have seen it.

It's not unknown for problems to arise even at this late stage with regard to fixtures and fittings for example all the light switches and power points may have been removed. If you would like to see more article and information on the region of south west France then visit http://www.lagiraudiere.com

Paul Thomas first visited La Giraudiere in 2000 and now writes articles for thier website concerning France and the region of South West FranceExclusive Mortgage Leads
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A home is a place where you spend most of your life. During this lifespan ,an emotional bonding develops between you and your place of living, irrespective of the fact that whether that home is owned by you or not. If you are a tenant, you always think of getting or buying that place. Here, we are talking about council tenants. Unsecured loans for council tenants serve the financial needs of such tenants.

About the unsecured loans for council tenants

Unsecured loans for council tenants are loans offered without any security or collateral. You can borrow amount ranging between ₤1000 to ₤25000 for a period of 6 months to 10 years with an unsecured loan for tenants.

About council tenants and their rights

A council tenant is the one who has the right to buy the place where he is residing as a tenant for a considerable period. This period is generally around two years. After completion of such period these tenants can buy the property at discounted rates. These tenants also have the right regarding repairs in the house. However, there are certain conditions which need to be considered before you go for buying the home or conducting any repairs through an unsecured loan for council tenants. These are:

Your place of living should be your main or only home.

You are staying or living in that home.

You should not be living in sheltered home where services are provided.

The home hasnt been designed for people with special needs

You right should not have been suspended by court for any reasons.

Your home should not be the part of your job profile

Back to unsecured loans for tenants

The benefits

Unsecured loans for tenants give you freedom from the stress of putting your asset on stake. As there is no collateral valuation involved, the approvals are quite faster making them suitable for your urgent requirements. People with bad credit history or poor credit score are also considered for such loans.

The usage

Unsecured loans for council tenants can be used for any of the following purpose of the council tenants:

Consolidation of debts

Wedding or education expenses on children

Holidaying purpose

Home improvements and repairs

Buying your place of living

Search and apply

You can search for unsecured loans for council tenants through online websites. You can compare the free loan quotes available on these sites. You need to mention in application, details such as name of the borrower, address and contact information, loan amount and loan purpose. After getting your details the lenders will contact you with his services. It is recommended to determine your repaying capacity and APR of the loan before entering into any agreement with the lender. Also, carefully read the small prints of the loan to avoid disagreements later.

So if you are a council tenant seeking financial support in the form of loans, unsecured loans for tenants is here for you to provide you that support.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at FastCashLoanTenant with an acumen for finance and insurance. In recent years he has taken up to provide independant financial advice through his informative articles. His articles are widely read because of the lucid manner of writing and thoroughly researched datas. To find Personal tenant loans,Unsecured loans for council tenants, Unsecured loan tenant UK, Unsecured loan that best suits your need visit http://www.fastcashloantenant.co.ukMortgage Lead Transfers
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The goals of Real Estate Asset Protection are:

Keep the ownership of the real estate anonymous. Anonymous Panama Corporations and Anonymous Panama Foundations do this extremely well; in fact better than any other jurisdiction we are aware of. Anonymous ownership of real estate reduces your profile as a target for lawsuits and collection attorneys can not go after something they do not know even exists.

If a structure of Anonymity is not practical the next best solution is to take away the attachable equity through the use of lawful mortgages and other encumbrances filed on the property locally by anonymous Panama Corporations or Foundations.

You should only use a Law Firm for asset protection so you have attorney client privilege. The law firm used should be out of the reach of the court where the real estate is located. If a lawyer in your country forms an offshore structure for you what are you going to do when he winds up in the lawsuit with you - defrauding creditors would be one possible allegation, or if he has the judge order him to open up his records concerning you. If you felt the courts, laws, judges, lawyers etc. in your country were fair and equitable you wouldnt be reading this. Dont make the mistake of using a law firm in another country which also has flawed privacy laws. The courts in his country will probably cooperate with the courts in your country.

As a last resort but still a valuable one the asset protection structure should present itself to your pursuing financial adversaries as so burdensome, onerous, confusing, time consuming and expensive that they will accept a settlement from you for a mere fraction of the debt in question. This is an often overlooked positive outcome that lets you keep your property and settle the debts for pennies on the dollar, sort of a bankruptcy without going bankrupt.

Detailed Information Follows:

Today many people in different countries are very worried about their real estate being lost due to court actions leaving them homeless or without their real estate portfolio. Real estate is not portable and unfortunately is one of the first things aggressive collection attorneys go after. Since the ownership of real estate in many jurisdictions is open and transparent, the real estate ownership rolls are often used to determine if a person has enough wealth to go after in a civil lawsuit, in other words it flags you as a target. Real estate ownership records are also used to accomplish identity theft since a lot can be learned about the owner from the public records like when the mortgages were taken out, from which company and for how much, the full names and addresses of the owners, etc. This information is then used combined with other public databases like drivers licenses, phone and utility records etc. to create a profile of the victim which is used to steal their identity. Lack of privacy is invasive and also encourages litigation and criminal activity.

So how do you protect your real estate in as anonymous manner as possible? Some sample strategies are briefly described below.

Mortgages:

One real estate asset protection strategy is to borrow against the real estate using mortgages or trust deeds. Typically in most jurisdictions the borrowed money is not taxable as income since it must be repaid. Usually one can borrow up to 80% of the value of the house. Collection attorneys will not spend money to go after a house with 20% or less available equity. This is also true concerning government collection agencies. It is felt that auctions in the courtroom or on the steps of the courthouse will not bring in more than 80% of the appraised value since these auction buyers are looking for a substantial discount. One important point to be considered is the collection attorney may want to know where the borrowed money from the mortgage is to see if it is within his reach like in the country concerned. If the money is offshore they rarely will pursue it. They are not lawyers outside of their country and must retain local lawyers who usually smell deep pockets and charge high fees for this type of service which will rarely ever has a happy ending for them. The country where the money is may be hostile to such collection actions as is very often the case and makes it hard for these cases to be pursued. These countries often dismiss these cases for lack of venue or jurisdiction. Also the collection attorney from your country often has to post a cash bond to cover court costs if they lose which again deters such actions. The potential problem with the above scenario is now you have a mortgage on property that may have been free and clear. You need to go through a credit check and reveal personal information much of it will wind up in public or semi-public databases like credit agencies databases. Now you have to make the payments and pay the interest rates. There are usually penalties involved if you terminate the lease early. Many of these loans have variable interest rates which can go up and now you have a blood sucking Mortgage Company on your property title. There is a better way.

Your own Mortgage Company:

There is nothing wrong with borrowing money from an anonymous Panama Bearer Share Corporation that to protect its interests places a mortgage on your property. You basically write a mortgage through your corporation to yourself to record on the title of the property you wish to protect. This requires a lawyer in the city where the real estate is to advise you as to how the mechanics and local laws will work when recording your mortgage and pertaining to it. You may need to fund an escrow in the area where the real estate is in some countries to validate the mortgage, but there are work arounds for this as well. After the escrow closes the loan is recorded against the property tying up the equity in the property reducing your profile as a target greatly. You could make the loan at more than 80% of the value like 99% if you so desired. The corporation or an additional corporation could be used to make a second or even a third mortgage. Of course your borrowed money is not taxable and but you do need to make payments with interest to your own corporation. This is a real loan. If one researches you or your real estate they will see encumbered real estate and someone thinking of suing you may think you are not worth the time and expense which is one of our goals. If someone does try to levy or auction your real property they will have to pay the mortgage off from any auction or sale proceeds and if the amount of the mortgage (LTV- Loan to Value) is at least 80% of the appraised value a sale for enough money to pay off the mortgage will be extremely unlikely thus they will not bother spending the legal fees and auction fees. Auction buyers are price buyers, not people looking for a certain home in a certain school district etc. Remember the Panama Corporation owning the mortgage has no listed owner anywhere so it is impossible for ownership to be looked up by a potential financial enemy sizing you up. In any event the obstacle of the mortgage makes normal collection actions immensely more difficult for them if they should try to pierce through the corporate veil. Panama corporate veils do not pierce. They do not know this is your mortgage and that you own the corporation that wrote the mortgage and the only way of finding out would be to take your deposition and ask you. Well for all they know you dont own the corporation, perhaps you did and transferred the ownership, or they might assume you would lie and they could not catch you in your deception, or they may assume it is owned by a friend or relative or whatever else comes into their mind. You are not responsible for their thoughts; this is something they do all on their own. One thing to be perfectly clear on is now collection costs for your financial adversary has now gone up, way up and the person going after your assets has some decisions to make as to how much money they want to spend. The collection attorney is going to be anything but encouraging because he is now in an environment that he does not understand welcome to the jurisdiction of Panama Counselor. He is going to tell your financial enemy that more money is required to pursue this, in the back of his mind not really wanting to pursue this and if he does have to do it he is going to want to get paid big time. When lawyers do not want to do something they charge a lot. Now if the attorney gets into it and finds out the corporation ownership is non-transparent and soon discovers that Panama has tight bank secrecy etc. he will become more frustrated and this means higher fees for your financial enemy. What will the other side do if a Panama Private Interest Foundation owns the Corporation and you can legally say you do not own the Corporation? Panama Foundations really have no owner so you could also say you do not own the Foundation. Welcome to Panama Mr. Collection Attorney. You are not responsible for providing the other side ownership details of a foundation or corporation that is their problem. You can say you do not own the corporation or foundation and that is where it stops as far as you are concerned. Folks when they see a Panama Corporation or a Panama Foundation on the mortgage they are more than likely to drop it right there because they know they are spinning their wheels and will more than likely never get anywhere and spend a ton of money getting nowhere. Remember the collection attorney doesnt deal with Panama Asset Protection scenarios everyday, or even every decade for most of them. He will see things as a brick wall, blind alley, etc and not know what to do. Remember the attorney that is doing the collection can be sued by his client for frivolously spending his clients money and running up a big bill when chances for a positive return are most unlikely.

Line of Credit Mortgage:

There are other ways of protecting real estate assets where no actual funding of a mortgage is required. A line of credit is set up through a Panama Financial Institution that records a trust deed based on the size of the line of credit. This is very similar to what finance companies in the USA do with home equity lines of credit. This also requires you to retain a local attorney in the area where the real estate is located to ensure that proper papers are filed with the local government registry. The line of credit need not be drawn down upon, yet it can still be used to protect your real estate equity, or boat equity, car equity, airplane equity, art collection equity etc. The line of credit can be cancelled at any time by you and within 30 days the mortgage on the property will be released. There are safeguards put in place to ensure you have control over this.

Real Estate Asset Protection Annuity:

Another way to protect real estate or other assets is through the use of an annuity. Basically the anonymous Panama Corporation or anonymous Panama Foundation would receive your real estate or other assets in return for an annuity. The annuity pays you a certain specified sum of money monthly, quarterly or yearly. The money can be paid into a secure Panama Bank account even in the name of another Panama Foundation which is acquiring and protecting assets for you to retire on and for the eventual benefit of your beneficiaries. So if you were asked in a lawsuit in your home country why you transferred the real estate to this Panama Corporation and what consideration did you receive for the transfer, you reply the transfer was done in return for an annuity of so much money per month for as long as you live, or 5 years or whatever you decide for a term. Now they say where is this money paid thinking about garnishing it. You say into a Panama bank that my Panama Private Interest Foundation maintains think dead end for the collection attorney. If the sum is paid monthly the collection effort is so costly compared to the reward you could even have the annuity money paid into a bank account in your home country. They are not going to go do a new collection action each month, and if they did well you could change banks, or use a Panama Bank and withdraw the money with an ATM card.

WARNING

It is common to see entities selling asset protection structures using trusts and other vehicles that are located in the countries that have done away with privacy and fairness in the courts. These are the countries where they judges do what they want, judgments awarded are staggering high, the lawyers run legal bills up on the people until they can no longer defend themselves because they are broke, etc. If you own property in such a country and use an attorney who is also in this country or another country like this you are at serious risk. Why. For a lot of reasons.

Ronald Edwards is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.Live Mortgage Leads
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Have you ever focused on something so intensely that your senses seem to shut off? Imagine being a jockey at the helm of a Belmont Stakes contender. Your horse is breathing hard, but you barely notice it. Your body is rocking in tune with the flow of the horses gait, but you hardly feel it. The resounding cheers of 120,000 screaming spectators are muffled at best, if not completely blotted out altogether. Your focus is on the white finish line, and making sure that your horses nose cuts over it before anyone elses. A new challenge approachesa stately competitor has inched its way to your shoulder. Now you can see its whole head. The white line looms closer and larger. Can your horse hold out its lead to the finish? Both cross the line. The winner will have to be determined by photo finish. A difference of less than one centimeter separates you and the other guy from the $1 million prize. Did you win or lose by a nose?

Real life isnt always that exciting or dramatic, but real life mimics this win by a nose, lose by a nose competition all the time. Consider this. If youre firm is attempting to secure a sale and you lose, what do you lose? EVERTHING. If you win, you win several times over. First you win the order and you get to benefit from the time trying to secure the sale and then you win the added benefit of profits. Your competitors lose not only the sale, but they lose profits and opportunity costs associated with the efforts. Profits have to pay for the lost efforts used to secure the sale.

Lets say your firm generates 300 quotes a year and you win about one third or 100 projects a year. Closer evaluation might show you lost 14% due to late submissions, 17% due to plus or minus 1% of the asking price, and 11% due to not having a 24-hour hot line. Contemplate what your business would look like if you jumped from 100 orders a year to 146 orders just by fixing these small issues and winning by a nose. Perhaps the jump would go from $32 million to $47 million just by evaluating win-by-a-nose strategies. Our clients say they most likely would have to turn away business. Would you?

If we used the concept, win by a nose, lose by a nose to the military, then decisions and actions are much more evident. What happens if you lose by a nosea split second? You die. Business would be much more productive if the consequences were as severe.

The great thing about this strategy: you dont need to be 10 times better than your competition to win, do you? You just need to be a nose.

Minor adjustments can make the difference between having everything you want and watching other people have it instead. Sometimes being aware of just how close you really are makes a world of difference, too. Other times, doing the same thing, but changing the timing reaps big rewards.

A simple example is how you might pay off a business loan or a mortgage. Say you have $200,000 to pay off on a 30-year loan. You can make one lump payment each month, and in 30 years, youre done. Or, you can cut the amount in half and make two payments a month. In 22 years, youre free and clear. Tack on another $100 per month, and you might get out from under the loan in 18 years. Think of what twelve extra years of retirement savings or $80,000 can do to the quality of your life. In essence youve won by a nose with a simple planning strategy.

If youre in management, there are plenty of ways you can adjust and tweak what you do to win by a nose. You can make your own list of win-by-a-nose strategies. The possibilities are endless, really. Here are 4 things you should consider to get started:

1.Know your ultimate customer: What do your customers look like? Why are they buying? What buying patterns best suit their ways of business? We recently talked with a manager in a $25m hydraulics and fluid company. Years ago, they would sell to OEM manufacturers. Over the course of 20 years, the customer base changed. Some left the area, some relocated to other countries, others went out of business. Order sizes changed. The supplier had to shift its ultimate customer and now has a client base of smaller companies requiring smaller orders. It has had to adjust the way it manufactures and delivers product, as well as the way it services customers. How about your firm? Do you need to provide more service techs in closer proximity to your buyers? Might you need better access to local engineer teams? Are you offering competitive enough financing options to buyers? And as always, do you offer a better product than the next competitor? What are you doing to win by a nose?

2.Know your competition. Who youre REALLY fighting against. Managers in retail often complain that theyre competing with WalMart or big box stores. Everybody competes against WalMart in some way, it seems. But with 6500 stores in 15 countries and servicing more than 150 million customers a week, is this really the most accurate description of your most threatening competitor? Do some homework, because in the race against WalMart, we doubt youre going to be winning or even losing by a nose.

3.Determine your order winners. Order winners are the distinguishing characteristics that enable you to win. Begin by looking at the things that put you in the running against reasonably defined competitors and see, point for point, what items you can improve upon to be able to win at least by a nose. Last February, our furnace went on the blink. We discovered the problem at 10:30 on a Friday night. The temperature outside hovered around zero. We called a business with offices less than a half a mile down the road. The sales person quoted a price, tacked on a late-night fee, then went on to explain what else we might be up against. When we inquired about a particular part, the culprit of the problem, we were quoted a three times the price we had found on-line during the call. Then we called a North-Syracuse based small business that advertised as a 24-hour service provider. The initial fee from company #2 seemed fair and they had no late-night fees. The reason-- We advertise 24 hour service so it means we are working anyway. The price for the broken part was within retail markup, 100%. And to top it off, they would weather a blustery snowstorm and be in our basement in less than an hour. It doesnt take a genius to figure out who won that job. Both firms received the call and one accepted a reasonable strategy for servicing customers and the other thought that because they were located in a higher-end suburb, they could charge additional fees.

4.Develop your brand. Oh, what an ambiguous statement! Let us be more specific. Gene Simmons, who masterminded the band, KISS, said that when he built KISS, his goal was NOT to build a bandbut to build a brand. KISS went on to be one of the most recognized rock bands in the world. PEOPLE PAY EXTRA FOR BRANDS. Brands give automatic credibility to your product or service and they can easily help you win by a nose when everything appears equal. People feel like they already know you and will often choose the name brand over the a no namer to play it safe. Your brand might be local, regional, state or province-wide, national, or even international. Think you dont have a brand? Think about your companys image. What are you known for besides the product or service you offer? Try naming others who play in your space and then characterize how you may win by a nose on paper. Then ask your customers and prospects the same question. Often those in a firm have a much different perception of their brand than of those that purchase from them.

If you can focus on and make strides in these four areas, you should be able to see some positive changes that you hadnt before. Maybe youll gain 4 major clients this year, or maybe youll top your best years sales figures. Focus on the finish line, always. Whatever the payoff, remember that you dont have to beat out the competitor by a milejust a nose is all it takes.

© David and Lorrie Goldsmith

David and Lorrie Goldsmith are managing partners of a firm that offers consulting and speaking services internationally.David was named by Successful Meetings as one of the 26 Hottest Speakers in the Industry. More information at http://www.keynoteresource.com/DavidGoldsmith.htmlVoice Broadcasting
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Trapped in bad credit? Does your bad credit always lock you out of an auto loan? Auto loans for bad credit can end all such worries as these loans are specially designed for the people with bad credit. These include CCJs and IVAs, defaulters, arrears etc.

Auto loans for bad credit are secured by the automobile itself so the borrowers dont have to worry about arranging collateral. Security through collateral gives you better interest rates. You are free to select the automobile of your choice and finance it with auto loan with bad credit.

You can consider following tips while looking for an auto loan for bad credit:

Know Your Credit Proper knowledge about your credit score can save lot of your money as the interest rate which the loan lenders offer you is highly dependent on your credit score. To know your score you can log on to the websites of credit rating agencies such as Experian, Equifax and Transunion.

How Much Can You Afford It is essential to know your repayment capacity before applying for an auto loan for bad credit. Borrowing larger amounts are easy but there repayments can be a trouble for you, along with bearing the expenses on routine maintenance and fuel costs on your automobile.

Finding the Right Dealer There is a large number of automobile dealers in the market. Finding a dealer with most suitable prices can save lot of your money.

Negotiating A Fair Price Once you have selected a dealer, you can further make negotiations with him for discounts. You can also ask for free accessories and automobile insurance which most of dealers provide these days.

Online loan lenders and brokers these days work hard to help you get the best auto loan for bad credit deal, no matter how good or bad your credit score is. But to get the better out of the best, you need to do some research from your side too. This research involves studying and comparing the free loan quotes available to you on several loan websites which you can easily look for on internet.

There are certain minimum requirements which you need to qualify while going for an auto loan with bad credit. Certain lenders will look for your employment status while considering your request. There should be a proof of income. Depending upon your credit score you may be required to share a minimum portion of total funds required.

Other than buying an automobile, an auto loan with bad credit can also be used to bear expenses on your existing automobile. This includes buying of accessories such as music systems, power window and power steering etc, repairs and servicing etc. In short an auto loan for bad credit is the complete package for your automobile needs.

Peter Taylor is a senior financial analyst at instantautoloan with an acumen for finance and insurance. In recent years he has taken up to provide independant financial advice through his informative articles. His articles are widely read because of the lucid manner of writing and thoroughly researched datas. To find Auto loans for bad credit, Cheap instant auto loan, Instant auto loan, Instant personal auto loan, Instant auto loan that best suits your need visit http://www.instantautoloan.co.ukMortgage Lead Programs
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Overview

On first blush, many investors who are interested in putting money in foreign real estate might flip past Estonia without giving it any thought. Indeed, historically Estonia has not been a country in which foreign nationals have been active in the real estate market. In point of fact, for a significant portion of the history of Estonia, foreign ownership of real estate was prohibited for tightly and highly regulated.

Of course, one of the primary reasons that foreign investors have not been active in the Estonian real estate market historically is the fact that through much of its history, Estonia has been occupied or controlled by other nations.

Over the course of the past decade, as Estonia has gained its independence, the government has worked to liberalize the laws governing the ownership and sales of real estate in that country. This has included opening the door wider to more foreign investment in real estate in Estonia.

While there has not been a rush of foreign nationals buying real estate in Estonia as of this point in time, there is a steady stream of these people buying real estate in different locations in Estonia. Industry analysts believe that the number of people who will invest in Estonian real estate should continue to increase at a steady, but not flooding, pace.

Investment Real Estate

As referenced previously, historically Estonia has not been a country that attracted a great deal of foreign investment in real estate. This is starting to change at this point in time. Thanks to a relaxation of the laws governing foreign investment in real estate, some foreign nationals are taking another look at investing in real estate in Estonia.

In this regard, people who have taken the step of investing in real estate in Estonia are doing so on the gambit that property values in that country will increase as the country becomes more active on the world economic stage. Most analysts believe that this is, in fact, a safe bet.

Primarily, foreign nationals are investing in commercial and residential properties at about an even pace. In many instances, foreign nationals are buying real estate in Estonia and then working to develop it for either commercial or residential purposes. In some areas in the country, foreign nationals have been leading the way in real estate related development projects, particular citizens of European nations.

At the present time, there are no significant restrictions regarding foreign investment in real estate. Again, the government of Estonia has been dedicated to streamlining and liberalizing the real estate sales process -- including for foreign nationals.

Residential Real Estate - Single Family Dwellings

The state of the single family, residential real estate market in Estonia varies significantly depending on what part of the country is being considered. For example, in the larger cities in the country, a more concerted effort is being made to develop new residential properties in single family style. In addition, a more concerted effort is being made to rehab and renovate older single family residential properties in Estonia to bring these properties into the 21st century.

In some instances, older residences that were once designed for single families are now being retrofitted to be used as multiple apartment units. Indeed, many of the newly available apartment units in many of the major urban centers in Estonia are in fact rehabilitated residences that once upon a time housed single families.

In the Estonian countryside, there are some stunning and elegant villas and estates that can be purchased for a moderate price. More often than not, these properties do require some renovation work to bring them into livable condition. Some foreign nationals are becoming involved in rehabbing these properties for resale to others.

Residential Real Estate - Apartments

Apartments have attracted the most significant number of foreign nationals to the real estate market at this point in time. Foreign nationals seem to buying apartments in Estonia for two primary reasons.

First, there is a growing number of foreign nationals who are coming to Estonia to take part in the economic development that is beginning to occur in that country. Consequently, these foreign nationals need and require affordable housing while they are in country. By and large, these foreign nationals have found purchasing an apartment for their time in Estonia to be a solid course to take,

Second, some foreign nationals have taken to purchasing apartments for leasing to other individuals, including other foreign nationals. This includes newly developed apartments as well as older buildings and structures that foreign nationals are purchasing and remodeling for usage as updated apartments. These foreign nationals appear to be turning a decent profit by purchasing and investing in these types of apartments. In addition, more foreign nationals are becoming involved in this types of investment as we move further into the 21st century.

Vacation Real Estate

The vacation real estate market in Estonia is only now on the verge of moving forward. Presently, the tourist trade into Estonia is not one of the most significant industries in that country. However, the government as well as certain elements of the private sector are working to attract more visitors and tourists to Estonia each year.

Some foreign nationals have begun to make modest investments in the vacation real estate market. Some foreign nationals have come together with Estonian nationals to develop apartment complexes and some stand alone residences to be utilized by people traveling to Estonia for holiday purposes.

While most real estate analysts do not anticipate an explosion in the vacation real estate market in the immediate future, these analysts do believe that there will be steady growth in this area which will continue to involve foreign nationals. Indeed, there are some attractive resorts that are now in development in Estonia that should be completed within the coming five years.

Successfully Purchasing Real Estate in Estonia:

Specific Steps to Buying Real Property in Estonia

The process of buying real estate in the Republic of Estonia can seem a bit complicated on the surface. With that said, the government of the Republic of Estonia has worked rather diligently to liberalize and modernize the laws governing the buying and selling of real estate in that country. In this regard, a good deal of effort has been expended making it a bit easier for foreign nationals to buy real estate in Estonia.

There are two primary contracts involved in the sale of real estate in Estonia. Both documents are prepared by a notary. Indeed, in Estonia it is mandatory that a notary be involved in the real estate sales process, that a notary prepare these primary documents. (As an aside, in some instances the notary does not need to prepare these documents his or her self. But, if someone else drafts these documents, the notary is legally required to review them in detail to make sure that they meet the requirements of Estonian law and reflect exactly the agreement that has been made between the parties.)

The initial agreement in the Estonian real estate sales process is the sales-purchase agreement. This agreement is prepared by the notary and is executed by the buyer and the seller once the seller makes an offer on the property that is for sale. Generally speaking, once the oral offer is made by the buyer to the seller, the sales-purchase agreement can be prepared and executed with a period of ten to thirty days (depending on what needs to be included in the agreement itself).

During the period of time between the execution of the sales-purchase agreement and the final agreement in the sales process, the buyer obtains financing and the seller makes certain that the property physically and legally is in a position to be conveyed and transferred to the buyer. In addition, during this interim period, the buyer must pay to the government what is known as a state fee -- which is in the amount of 0.4% of the value of the real estate being sold and purchased.

The final agreement in the real estate sales process in Estonia is entitled the transfer of ownership in real estate agreement or document. When this document is duly executed by the parties, an application is made to the Land Register Office to transfer the ownership of the real estate from the seller to the buyer. In addition, following the filing of this application, a public notice of the change in ownership of the real estate is published in the Official State Gazette, the official publication in Estonia that publishes legal notices of this nature.

In summary, the process of buying real estate in Estonia does include a number of hurdles that seem confusing and complicated on the surface. But, as has been noted, the laws have been modernized and liberalized in recent years. Chances are quite good that the government of Estonia will continue to work to make the real estate laws in that country a bit more user friendly and less cumbersome in the future.

Les Calvert - an authority on overseas property and the Director of http://www.property-abroad.com/estonia has written thousands of articles on Estonia and other popular countries reagrding purchasing overseas property.Exclusive Mortgage Leads
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There is hope still for those that have had a recent bankruptcy on their credit and who still wish to buy a home, but it may require financing to own the house. One should realize that all is not lost when it comes to learning how to buy a house after bankruptcy. The effect of having bad credit is that it only serves to put more emphasis on the other two factors governing how to buy a house after bankruptcy, which are income verification as well as a down payment.

You Must Wait Two Years Following Bankruptcy

If one has become bankrupt, lenders normally require the borrower to wait for a minimum of two years from when he or she went bankrupt before making their application for a mortgage loan. Once this two years waiting period has been served out, lenders will normally offer loans and finance should not be difficult to obtain.

Of course, it does require affirmation from the credit bureau to attest that the debtors payments have been paid on time after the discharge of his or her bankruptcy. However, if the debtor wishes to obtain a mortgage loan prior to the two years waiting period having been completed, he or she will need a flawless payment history from the time of his or her bankruptcy discharge.

Thus, how to buy a house after bankruptcy will require having a good and certified credit standing that has been consistent ever since the bankruptcy was discharged, and it may even be helpful if the debtor is able to pay a down payment, which even as small an amount such as three to five percent as a down payment will help to further the cause adequately.

Other methods open, when one is considering how to buy a house after bankruptcy, are to borrow or ask for a gift from relatives. Having financed a house, it is always possible to go and take out a second or third mortgage up to the total value of the house, and then pay back the loan from relatives. However, one should always be honest with lenders about the source of the down payment; otherwise dishonesty could lead to it being treated as defrauding the lender.

Another option one can consider regarding how to buy a house after bankruptcy is down payment assistance programs such as Neighborhood Gold or the Nehemiah program, which basically aid sellers in helping the debtor with down payments. It is legal to receive a down payment from these sources but it is illegal to receive down payments from the seller of the property.

Finally, with regard to how to buy a house after bankruptcy, one may also consider cashing out a 410K or another investment, and repay with a second or third mortgage after the loan gets closed. These days, mortgage loans following bankruptcy are not so hard to come by, and there are many bad credit mortgage lenders who will provide loan assistance in this regard.

Simon Peters is the owner of http://on-bankruptcy.com, it is THE best source for advice on the subject on bankruptcy, nothing to sell, just information . . .Live Mortgage Leads
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Chances are you think that you won't be affected by the nation's number one fast-growing crime. Think again. Identity theft is on the rise.

In 2005, 9.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft according to the Javelin Better Business Bureau survey. 68.2 percent of the cases involved thieves who obtained personal information off-line vs. only 11.6% obtained online. ID theft through lost or stolen identification, misappropriation by family and friends, and theft of paper mail are among the most common ways thieves gain access to your information.

Most people do not have a clue how to protect themselves.

For a moment, let's just examine what could happen in your life if you are targeted for this crime:

Victims now spend an average of 600 hours recovering from identity theft over a period of years. This equals nearly $16,000 in lost potential or realized income. Typical out-of-pocket expenses are $1,500 on average.

Even after a thief is stopped from using your information, sometimes up to as much as 10 years, victims still struggle with the impact of identity theft. That includes increased insurance or credit card fees, inability to find a job, higher interest rates, as well as continuing to battle collection agencies that refuse to clear records despite substantiating evidence of the crime. How stressful do you think this situation would be?

The emotional impact on victims is likened to a violation similar to what victims of violent crime describe including rape, violent assault and battering. People feel dirty, ashamed, embarrassed and often are afraid to ask for help. Many have reported a split with a spouse of significant other as well as being unsupported by family members.

Most victims report a lack of responsiveness from those entities they turned to for help including police, collection agencies, credit issuers, utility companies and financial institutions. The average arrest rate for identity theft based on reported cases is 5%. The message here is crystal clear - we have to fight identity theft ourselves!

Exactly what are the different types of identity theft and how do identity thieves get access to your personal information?

Financial Identity Theft

This is the kind of identity theft most people think of first. Thieves hack into your computer at home or at the office and steal personal information. It accounts for about 28% of all identity theft happening today.

For example, thieves will:
use your line of credit to make purchases
use your credit cards to make purchase
open up a mortgage using your name and social security number
create a loan using your name and social security number
file bankruptcy under your name
open phone or utility accounts under your name
attempt checking and/or savings fraud (accessing your accounts)
attempt to use existing accounts to make purchases

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability in the case of unauthorized credit use is limited to $50 per card. However, in order to take advantage of this protection, you must file a dispute letter within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you. So what happens if the thief changes your address and you don't receive your bill? Guess what, you are held financially liable. In addition, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act has the same 60 day notification provision or your liability is unlimited. Not fair, but it's the reality.

Some credit card companies promote zero liability for these kinds of fraudulent transactions. However the reality is that there are exclusions including cards used by business purposes, ATM transactions, and certain PIN-based transitions, all transactions processed outside the card issuer's network, and cases where the card holder gave permission for someone else to use their card. You have to read your cardholder agreement carefully to find out the exact details.

Financial Identity Theft has significant impact on a person's life including: financial losses, inaccurate credit reports that can mean being denied a job, difficulty getting new lines of credit, trouble opening new accounts as well as higher costs for loans and insurance. The toll of this kind of financial loss can be significant as can be witnessed in a recent lawsuit filed by a plaintiff against Home Depot, Case #02CC13327 in Orange County Superior Court, where a judge awarded the plaintiff $1 million in damages for identity theft.

Criminal Identity Theft

This is the second most common type of identity theft and most people aren't even aware of it.

In this case, a criminal uses your information during encounters with the police. For example, a thief who has your identifying information gets arrested for a crime and gives them your name and social security number. One day you are driving along and get stopped for a traffic infraction. The cop runs your name through their database and finds out you just committed a bank robbery in another state. Suddenly you are being hauled off to jail for something you didn't even do!

Never mind how stressful and embarrassing this mistake could be, it can also lead to an erroneous criminal record, outstanding arrest warrants, and possible consequences such as being fired from your job for not disclosing a conviction and even get you thrown in jail. What if this happens on a Friday night and they toss you the local jail overnight? Do you have someone you can call that could bail you out? Can you afford this kind of mistake happen in your life?

The results of this kind of criminal identity theft could include a negative impact on future employment, loss of security clearance, lost jobs and higher insurance premiums. It is the most difficult type of ID theft to clear up and in some cases, almost impossible. Some victims have been reduced to carrying court documentation with them at all times to prove who they really are and not the actual criminal.

Social Security Identity Theft

If someone uses your social security number to get a job and they have a continuous work record, guess who gets to pay the tax bill? The answer is you. There are cases where someone's social security number was used a total of 37 times by different people. In the employment screening business, we see this happen every day.

Medical Identity Theft

This kind of ID theft involves someone using your health insurance for medical and/or hospital care. The result is a mixed up medical record that could result in potentially deadly consequences. For example, what would happen if someone used your identification and health insurance number and got an HIV test that proved positive? Now all of a sudden, that record is attached to your medical records and every time you see a healthcare person, they think you have aids. In addition, this can seriously impact your ability to get insurance and it can result in significantly higher insurance premiums.

A recent article in the November 2006 issues of Reader's Digest reported that fraud is estimated to account for as much as ten percent of all health care costs including medical identity theft. An insurance card is like a Visa card with a $1 million spending limit, says Byron Hollis, national anti-fraud director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The most frightening part of this article is the fact that organized crime rings are realizing how lucrative identity theft is and are adding a new dimension to the problem.

Driver's License Identity Theft

Our driver's license is the standard and most often used form of identification in United States. ID thieves are professionals at creating fake driver's licenses that are virtually impossible to detect. Having this form of picture ID opens the door to numerous other types of ID theft.

On October 28, 2006 in California, a worker at the Santa Ana DMV was arrested for her alleged role in an ID theft scheme that used applicant information to create fraudulent licenses. The indictment alleged that she used her position to sell fraudulent drivers licenses to co-schemers who paid between $1,500 to $5,000 for each fraudulent license. She allegedly obtained the identifications of victims from the DMV database and changed their address and identifiers to match the fraudulent purchaser who then had a new DMV photo taken.

What can You do to Protect Yourself?

The good news is there are many things you can do to protect yourself, but you must be proactive. This is a crime you cannot afford to wait to become of a victim of.

1. Order the Federal Trade Commission's free report on identity theft by visiting www.consumer.gov/idtheft or calling 877 382-4357

2. Get a copy of your own credit report and review it carefully for accuracy. Because of the new Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) you can get a free copy once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com

3. Be careful with your mail. Don't use an unsecured mailbox when mailing anything containing financial information. Drop off at the post office or in a post office collection box.

4. Guard your trash. Identity thieves will look for credit card receipts and applications, insurance forms, bank statements etc. Buy a shredder and use it regularly.

5. Use your Social Security Number only when absolutely necessary. Before you give your SS# to anyone, ask why it is needed and how it will be used, or shared with others and how the company protects your personal information.

6. Pay attention to billing cycles. If your bills don't arrive on time, follow up with your creditors. A missing statement can mean an ID thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address.

7. Be cautious with online purchases. Before purchasing anything on the internet, look for the icon of a lock in the lower right-hand corner of your browser windows. If it's there, you're dealing with a secure site. It not, you'll be safer finding another merchant.

8. Remove personal information from old computers. Files you think you have deleted from your computer may remain on your hard drive where hackers can easily access them. Use a wipe utility program to delete files with sensitive data.

9. Opt-out of receiving pre-approved credit cards offers in the mail by calling 888 5-OPT-OUT or going to www.optoutprescreen.com

10. Immediately sign up for an ID Theft Shield program which can not only monitor your credit and let you know when anything changes, but can also provide restoration after the fact. Don't wait on this one - Click here now for more information

Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant with over 26 years experience focusing on communications and public relations programs for small business sectors. She can be reached at creative-com@cox.netMortgage Lead Transfers
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Re-dedicating yourself over and over to a goal...

Feeling the fear and doubts and not succumbing to it...

Reaching deep down inside to connect with the part of you that is not going to roll over and play dead.

In High School, I played left back (defense) for my school field hockey team. My job was to defend our goal, back up our forwards and mid-field players. I was committed to our team. I believed in us and I had faith that we would play to the best of our ability and have fun in the process. We did.

Occasionally, the other team got past me and the other defender and I would feel like throwing my hockey stick after them to hit the ball and them away from the goal. I wanted to, but I didn't.

What I did do, was to re-visit my commitment to defend to the best of my ability... to give it my all.

At the end, win or lose, when I gave it my all, I felt proud.

Now, 30 years later, I am involved in different games of life. I want to be a good mother, a good person. I want to practise the spiritual principles and the Avatar tools that I know, to be the kind of person that my Higher Self calls me to be.

There are days when I have my dips and I don't feel like trying anymore. I can feel what it would feel like to quit, to bale on myself and that fighting spirit in me re-ignites.

I know where I have been.

I don't want to go back there. Too much darkness and struggle.

I have a good taste of what is possible... what lies ahead.. and I want it! I want it badly enough to push past my "stuff". I want it enough to do whatever it takes to get myself out of that hole and keep moving forward.

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Without a doubt one of the most annoying issues for owners is a dog that is a chronic barker. These dogs seem to bark at anything and everything and do not stop barking even when the threat or event is over. While chronic or excessive barking is often associated with small dogs all sizes and breeds of dogs may become chronic barkers under the right set of conditions.

What makes a dog bark?

Initially puppies and dogs bark to attract attention, notify owners of a stranger or unusual event, or to defend themselves and their property. Most owners appreciate a dog that barks to notify them when a stranger approaches or there is a knock at the door. The problems start to happen when the dog does not disengage from the barking activity, even if corrected. Some chronic barkers will not stop even if removed from the room and will continue to bark even if placed outside.

Usually dogs that have a problem with barking started this behavior because they were bored or received attention for barking. Remember that to a dog all attention is good, even if it is negative. Therefore when a dog is bored, lacks attention and then barks and gets yelled at, he or she quickly learns that barking gets human attention, which is just what he or she wants. Once this pattern has been established it is more difficult to correct than catching it early and stopping it as it develops.

Working With A Puppy or Dog

Puppies are often very cute when they bark and owners do little to correct the barking. Once they become a bit older the problem becomes more annoying, but by then the behavior is established. If you want to have a watchdog consider using the following method:

When the stranger comes to the house or yard and the puppy or dog barks, immediately praise the puppy. After one or two barks say Enough or Stop and then immediately give them a toy or chew item to distract them from barking. As soon as they take the toy praise them for stopping and provide attention for quiet behavior.

If the puppy or dog continues to bark and doesnt take a toy consider giving them a food treat. Again praise as soon as the dog is quiet after you have given the verbal command.

Spend time playing with the puppy and provide attention when they are quiet.

Never yell at the puppy or hit the dog to make it stop barking. This will only raise the puppies anxiety level and lead to more barking or even more aggressive behaviors such as biting or running away.

A squirt bottle filled with tap water can also be used to stop the puppy from barking, although this should only be used if other methods fail. Again, the word Enough or Stop should be used prior to the water bottle, and the puppy should immediately be praised when he or she sits or stands quietly beside you.

For dogs or puppies that bark chronically when the owner is away consider providing more toys and activities for the dog. In addition take them for a long walk or play games with them to provide more stimulation before you leave them alone. Try to make the times away from home as short as possible and praise the dog when you get home and all is quiet.

Be as consistent as possible if you are trying to train or correct a barking dog. Always respond the same way to barking. Dogs become very confused if one day they are allowed to bark and other days they given negative attention for barking. Always pay attention to the dog when it is quiet or behaving appropriately and spend extra time exercising and playing with the dog or puppy to ensure that they will be tired and relaxed when you are away from home.

Kelly Marshall is a popular contributor at http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com - where you can find dog beds, dog steps, pet ramps, and more unique dog gear that you'll never find at your local pet store.Live Mortgage Leads
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